Pet matchmaker talks about the most common adoption mistakes people make

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The Denver Post
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November 28, 2010 @ 6:22 pm
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Animals,General,People and Animals,Pet Behavior |
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Kate Lindenbaum, here with her chihuahua, is a professional animal matchmaker.

People adopting animals from shelters make plenty of mistakes, says Kate Lindenbaum.

And that’s where she comes in.

Lindenbaum is a professional pet matchmaker. For a fee, she will help pet-seekers find the best animal match from Front Range shelters. She will even go shopping with new pet parents to make sure they get the products they need.

The owner of Homeward Bound Pet Consulting in Denver believes that if she does her job right, everybody involved will be a winner – pet adopters, shelters and especially the animals that get a second chance at life.

That extends to Lindenbaum herself, who had to find a new line of work after the shelter she worked at for 7 years, the Colorado Humane Society in Englewood, closed last year. The owners faced allegations of financial mismanagement and doing unnecessary euthanasias to make room for other animals.

“I did just about every job there,” Lindenbaum says. “I was an adoption counselor and, during the last year, the shelter manager. I literally was the last employee out the door.”

She said she had long wondered about the disconnect between people wanting to adopt a shelter animal but not finding the right one. So she decided to put her expertise to work to smooth out the mistakes that some people make in adopting.

As she put it, “I decided there was a need for more information.”

She started her business this September and has handled the adoption of a half-dozen animals. She works with dogs and cats and smaller animals, as well, but most of the work is with dogs.

Lindenbaum sticks to shelter animals and not adoptions from breeders. That fits neatly into her business plan of helping shelters, which retain their normal adoption fees.

In light of her experience, Lindenbaum was asked to list the most common mistakes people make when adopting pets.

The number one mistake, she said, is people not really preparing to find the right pet.

“People sometimes don’t give enough thought to the specifics of their lifestyle,” she explained. “They like the looks of a breed they haven’t researched.”

Take, for example, the person who picks a big, energetic dog even though they live in a small apartment. Or they take a liking to a dog that barks a lot, not thinking how that may upset neighbors.

The number two mistake, says Lindenbaum, is making a plan but not sticking to it.

“People sometimes make a spontaneous decision even though they’ve prepared properly,” she said.

“Number three, people don’t pay attention to an animal’s characteristics, just to what it looks like,” she explained. “Is the dog bouncing off the walls? Sometimes quiet animals make the best pets.”

Another mistake, Lindenbaum said, is not paying attention to landlords’ requirements.

“It comes down to all these factors,” she said. “Do you have kids? How does the animal get along with kids? Will the pet inflame your allergies? You have to be realistic about what the commitments are.”

Failure to exercise due diligence leads to animals being returned to shelters, she said.

Lindenbaum believes her business is now the only one of its kind in the area.

Nick Fisher, a veteran shelter manager in the metro area, says it’s one of just a handful he has been aware of over the years.

“It’s a good service for those who can afford it, ” he said. “And we still get the adoption fee.”

Lindenbaum provides three levels of service. First is simply counseling clients. Second is visiting shelters with clients. Third is picking out the right animal and bringing it to clients.

In addition to going shopping with clients who request it, Lindenbaum has a referral list for various services, such as doggie day cares.

And the cost? She said a tandem visit to shelters with a client, along with a shopping trip for supplies, runs between $150 and $250. Even with the addition of the adoption fee, Lindenbaum says a client can pay several times more for a similar dog from a breeder

Lindesnbaum said she pre-screens all clients and that she has met with leaders of area shelters and they have agreed to work with her.

Boulder Humane Wins $100,000 national adoption challenge
The Humane Society of Boulder Valley scrambled hard in September to assist the victims of the Fourmile Canyon Fire, the most costly wildfire in Colorado history. But it still found time to get more animals adopted than 49 other shelters competing in a national contest sponsored by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.

For its efforts, Boulder Humane has won a $100,000 grant from the ASPCA, which sponsored the contest to inspire the 50 participting shelters and others to ramp up adoptions of homeless shelter animals. During the three-month contest period – August through October – Boulder Humane adopted out 2,640 animals, which is 968 more than the same period in 2009. Overall, the competing shelters adopted out 48,779 animals – 7,362 more than the period a year ago.

“We were honored to be a part of this national challenge to save more animals’ lives, and we congratulate all of our colleagues across the country who together helped save so many lives through this effort. Thanks to the ASPCA for inspiring our entire industry,” said Lisa Pedersen, CEO of the Humane Society of Boulder Valley. “This is just the beginning. We have learned so many great lessons, everything from discovering creative new ways to find homes for animals to engaging our entire community to save more lives. The $100K Challenge was an amazing example of what our community can do together”

The Larimer Humane Society was the only other competitor from Colorado

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ANIMAL TRACKS -A pet food drive to help hard-pressed animal owners hang on to their pets will kick off Friday (Dec. 3). The rough economy has forced a number of financially-challenged pet owners to give their animals up to shelters. Thousands more struggle to feed their pets. The food drive will be paired with a grand reopening event for Heavenly Dog. 2224 E. Tennessee Drive, Denver. The kickoff event, which goes from 4-9 p.m., invites people and well-behaved pets to bring cans or unopened bags of food to Heavenly Dog or to Urban Real Estate, 3627 W. 32nd Ave. Refreshments will be served Friday. The drive continues through Dec. 17. . .

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PET CALENDAR

Foothills Animal Shelter[3] and Stevinson Toyota West will be partnering this Saturday (Dec. 4) for a dog adoption event. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Stevinson Toyota West & Scion, 780 Indiana Street, Lakewood. Adoptable dogs will be mingling with the crowd in hopes of finding their forever homes. Information: FoothillsAnimalShelter.org [4]

Divine Feline[5], a nonprofit organization dedicated to TNR (trap, neuter, and return) of feral cats in Colorado, is holding a holiday fundraiser on Wednesday, Dec. 8 from 6-9 p.m. at the Tears-McFarlane Mansion on Cheesman Park. Suggested donation is $35, or for $50 attendees will recieve a commemorative “Divine” bottle of wine to take home. For questions or to RSVP contact Erica Rambus at ericrambus@gmail.com

The Cat Care Society [6]a Lakewood-based nonprofit organization, will hold its Santa Paws Festival Dec. 3 and 4. There will be refreshments and shopping at a bake sale and the Society’s gift shop, Meow Mart. The location is 787 West 6th Avenue in Lakewood. Times are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For information: 303-239-9680 or www.catcaresociety.org.[7]

The Humane Society of Boulder Valley [8]will hold its final weekend of Pet Photos on Saturday, Dec. 4 and Sunday, Dec. 5 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. To make an appointment, email Elissa Smith at .elissa.smith@boulderhumane.org or call 303-442-4030 ext. 634.

The Denkai Animal Sanctuary [9]in Grover will receive a portion of the proceeds from holiday animal photos to be taken Dec. 4, 11 and 18, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., at PetSmart, 4432 S. College Ave., Fort Collins. Information: info@denkaisanctuary.org.

The Gabriel Foundation [10]will receive proceeds of holiday photos with Santa taken with owners’ parrots on Saturday, Dec. 4 from 1-4 p.m. at the Foundation, 1025 Acoma St. in Denver. From 2:30 to 4 p.m., groomers will be available tp groom birds. Contact: Gabriel@thegabrielfoundation.org.